Puck's Chivalric Gesture
by seek-to-enchant121584
Summary: Puck witnesses the exchange between Rachel and Jacob in the hallway involving the green underwear. A tiny little addition to the episode "Throwdown" in which Rachel gets some support, from an unexpected source and just as unexpected a fashion. Pre Rachel/Puck. Complete.
1. Rachel's POV

**Author's note**: This is a little scene I came up with that could be fitted into the "Throwdown" episode. I mean, come on! You mean to say that no one overheard, not to mention _seen_, that embarrassing encounter? And then she's looking all down and alone...she looked as if she needed someone at her back. And I am so totally in love with Puck and Rachel as a couple. This is the result. Oh and the song I've got listed totally makes me think of Puck and Rachel. But it'd be more like Puck saying those things to Rachel. It does, doesn't it? Am I completely crazy? Anyway, this oneshot is nowhere near any serious Puck/Rachel romantic-like, regardless of the song I've chosen. But I wanted to post it before I get completely brainwashed by Puck and Quinn as a couple. (Not that that is necessarily a bad thing...) I really need to stop talking now.

**Music suggestions**: 'Taking chances (Glee cast version)' by Glee Cast (why is it so hard for iTunes to just put the actual singer's name instead of being so general about it?)

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Glee either. Otherwise, Puck and Rachel would have stayed together for at _least_ two more episodes and actually tried to keep up the act awhile longer to see if Finn or Quinn could actually be made jealous.

Puck's Chivalric Gesture

Rachel's gaze dropped to the floor, her hair falling over her shoulders to curtain her face as she turned to head towards her next class. That is, until she almost crashed into the solid form that had stepped into her path out of nowhere.

"Do not tell me that I just saw that nerd with the afro talking to you and waving around a pair of your underpants in a crowded high school hallway." Puck queried in that uninterested tone that drove her nuts.

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Rachel replied, ducking to his left side and walking around him.

Puck fell into step beside her. Glee was their next class anyway.

"I don't really care." Puck said resolutely, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Cause we're gonna talk about why you gave that kid a pair of panties, which I don't believe you actually ever wore, and why he was waving them around in public. That's just wrong. Even I have standards higher than that."

"That's hard to believe." Rachel quipped in a dry tone. The rest of his comment filtered through her brain, and she stopped walking. "Wait. How would _you_ know what kind of underwear I may or may have not worn?" Rachel asked accusingly, grabbing his arm and pulling him around to face her.

"Trust me, I've seen your type before." Puck answered after a snort. "White, white, and oh what's that? Oh, it's more white. If there's one aspect of your wardrobe that doesn't clash with every color known to man, it's your underwear drawer." Puck finished snidely, snatching his arm from her grasp and pivoting back to his position beside her. He held out his arm in a sweeping motion, in a mock version of being gentlemanly.

Rachel rolled her eyes and strode past him. Puck let her get a few steps away before he jogged back to her side.

"So... What's the deal? I seriously doubt you went Sixteen Candles on him. And you rolling around in the sack with him is even more unbelievable." Puck said, the slightest hint of curiosity creeping into his tone.

Rachel looked around speculatively to make sure no one was listening to their conversation before she sighed and relented.

"Jacob has a blog. And he somehow caught wind of Quinn's condition. He threatened to post the story unless I did what he asked. So there. That's the story." Rachel concluded, staring straight ahead. He didn't need to know the whole reason why she'd agreed. He wouldn't understand anyway.

"Are you saying you gave that perv a pair of underwear for _Quinn_? And the baby?" Puck whispered disbelievingly, taking a hold of her arm and jerking them both to a halt once again.

"Don't sound so shocked." Rachel said in a clipped tone, struggling slightly against the iron grip his hand had on her forearm. "She's in Glee now. She's one of us. Soon enough, we're all she'll have. That isn't to say I wouldn't try to help anyone else in Glee. I'd do it for anyone in Glee if they needed me to." Rachel paused and looked down at his arm and shook her head despairingly. Looking back up, she met his gaze resolutely. "I'd even do it for you."

He released her arm as if it scalded him.

"I don't need your help, Berry." Puck stated darkly, his mood souring fast. He closed his eyes for a second and the emotions bubbling over were forced back down. "So listen. Do you want me to go kick his ass or something and get them back? I haven't beat on anyone in awhile and I need to keep the skills fresh. But then I'd have to keep the underpants. You know, as a reward for my heroic gesture." Puck finished smugly, a wink accompanying the words.

"Um... No. While I appreciate your...chivalric gesture, I think I'm going to have to pass. I can handle this on my own." Rachel replied slowly, the words that usually fell so easily from her lips being, for once, difficult to formulate around the mixture of incredulity and amusement swirling around inside of her.

Puck shrugged casually as if brushing her off.

"Alright, suit yourself. And just so you know, I don't make offers like that everyday. So you have no idea how stupid you're being by turning it down. Most women would have known better. But then again, you're not really one of those, are you?" Puck said nonchalantly, sneering at her slightly before he quickened his pace and ducked into the choir room.

Rachel watched in confusion as he sauntered away from her for a few moments before she trailed along behind him at a slower pace towards the choir room.

What was it about Noah Puckerman that made him such a mysterious jerk? And he was so wrong about her underwear drawer. Well, at the present he was correct, but she planned on rectifying that after school and a trip to the nearest mall.

ooooooooo-ooooooooo-ooooooooooooooo

I don't remember why exactly I started getting into Puck/Rachel fanfiction, but now it's all I see. I was actually _bouncing_ around in my seat when I saw the spoilers for "Mash up". And I about swooned when I watched Mark Salling singing "Sweet Caroline". I thought they looked absolutely adorable together in that episode, especially the scene where Rachel's cleaning the slushie off of him. I was cooing, "Aww...that's so cute!" the whole time. I cannot express how disappointed I was when they only lasted one episode. I mean, I didn't hold out any high hopes that they were going to end up together and forget about Finn and Quinn, but I think they worked really well together. And like I just mentioned, they complement each other, both in looks as well as personality. Well, that's my two cents (more like two dollars). Hope you enjoyed my first Glee oneshot!


	2. Puck's POV

Author's note: I was a little surprised by how much longer this one was compared to the first chapter. When I wrote the first half from Rachel's POV, I tried really hard to keep Puck's out in case I got around to rewriting the same scene from his perspective. And after a few of you asked about it in review, I was motivated into getting right on that. Not to mention, I felt a strong need to get this posted before Glee comes back Wednesday. I don't know if I should jump up and down in joy...or hide my face behind my hands.

Music suggestions: 'Taking chances' by Glee Cast, 'Hate my life' by Theory of a Deadman.

Disclaimer: Hasn't changed since the first chapter.

2-Puck's Chivalric Gesture

Puck had been idling between classes, taking up space against a bank of lockers that weren't even close to his, just watching the traffic mill past him until enough time had passed to show up in the choir room. He looked up from the floor just as Finn walked by with that Rachel chick, her talking about something involving years of therapy. She must have been confused, because obviously it was everyone else that had to tolerate her that needed the counsellings.

As Finn walked away from her, the weird looking kid with the red frizzy hair approached and blocked her path. And she did not look happy with the conversation. He almost laughed out loud, thinking how perfect the two would be for each other, when he saw the kid grapple something out of his backpack... something flimsy, green, and definitely not for public consumption. The self-righteous smirk died on his lips and his expression hardened. That reject was _not_ waving around a pair of girl's underpants and complaining in front of countless witnesses, was he?

Sure, he wasn't above taking a bra or a pair of panties from a girl that offered them to him as some sort of trophy after they hooked up, but even he knew better than to pull them out and swing them around in front of all his friends. Even in private with just a few of his football buds, much less in their high school hallway between classes, where anyone and everyone might catch a glimpse.

Sharing a few sordid details in the locker room the day after on the other hand...well, he wasn't above that.

Pushing away from the wall, his eyes narrowed and his hands clenched into fists at the vulnerable look that appeared in Rachel's expression once the nerd-jerk walked away. It was one thing throwing a slushie in the girl's face on a preplanned schedule just for kicks. It was another degrading a girl by dragging her name and private life through the McKinley High mud. Not even a psychotically driven one like Rachel Berry deserved that.

He stepped away from the bay of lockers and into her path just as she began to walk past him.

"Do not tell me that I just saw that nerd with the afro talking to you and waving around a pair of your underpants in a crowded high school hallway." Puck asked, affecting the slow, disinterested tone he knew drove girls crazy.

"I'm not having this conversation with you." Rachel replied, ducking to his left side and walking around him.

Puck fell into step beside her. Glee was where he was headed anyway.

"I don't really care." Puck said resolutely, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Cause we're gonna talk about why you gave that kid a pair of panties, which I don't believe you actually ever wore, and why he was waving them around in public. That's just wrong. Even I have standards higher than that."

"That's hard to believe." Rachel quipped in a dry tone. She then paused halfway through her stride before holding her arm out and stopping completely. "Wait. How would _you_ know what kind of underwear I may or may have not worn?" Rachel asked accusingly, grabbing his arm and pulling him around to face her.

Oh, that was almost too easy to answer. It's like she deliberately provoked him sometimes. As if she didn't already project that she was an uptight, virginal prude.

"Trust me, I've seen your type before." Puck answered after a snort. "White, white, and oh what's that? Oh, it's more white. If there's one aspect of your wardrobe that doesn't clash with every color known to man it's your underwear drawer." Puck finished snidely, snatching his arm from her grasp and pivoting back to his position beside her. He held out his arm in a sweeping motion, in a mock version of being gentlemanly.

Rachel rolled her eyes and strode past him. Puck let her get a few steps away before he jogged back to her side. She hadn't denied the accusation.

"So... What's the deal? I seriously doubt you went Sixteen Candles on him. And you rolling around in the sack with him is even more unbelievable." Puck said, the slightest hint of curiosity creeping into his tone. Internally, his lip curled into a snarl-like fashion at the last thought. He may not ever admit to it, but she was not as ugly as that Jacob guy, and now his earlier musings came back to haunt him. She had better _not_ be practicing making babies with that nerd.

He watched with an amused raised eyebrow as Rachel looked around all cloak and dagger-like to make sure no one was listening to their conversation before she sighed rather dramatically and relented.

"Jacob has a blog. And he somehow caught wind of Quinn's condition. He threatened to post the story unless I did what he asked. So there. That's the story." Rachel concluded, staring straight ahead.

He got the idea that that wasn't the main reason behind her "selfless" actions. His name also rhymed with Quinn's.

"Are you saying you gave that perv a pair of underwear for _Quinn_? And the baby?" Puck whispered disbelievingly, taking a hold of her arm and jerking them both to a halt once again. The idea that she would help out his baby's mama sort of unnerved him. He seriously doubted she would be going through the same actions if she knew who the true father was.

"Don't sound so shocked." Rachel said in a clipped tone, struggling slightly against the iron grip his hand had on her forearm. "She's in Glee now. She's one of us. Soon enough, we're all she'll have. That isn't to say I wouldn't try to help anyone else in Glee. I'd do it for anyone in Glee if they needed me to." Rachel paused and looked down at his arm and shook her head. Looking back up, she met his gaze resolutely. "I'd even do it for you."

He released her arm as if it scalded him. It was as if she'd inadvertently picked up on his previous thoughts. He was almost 100 percent sure that even though she sounded sincere, she wouldn't have even blinked if Jacob had informed her that he was the baby daddy instead of Finn. No tiny green underpants would have exchanged hands if it were his name dragging Quinn down.

"I don't need your help, Berry." Puck stated darkly, his mood souring fast. He didn't want to admit to how lonely it made him feel, not having a girl like Rachel Berry lining up to defend him. The jealousy also rose up, unbidden. He'd give anything to be Finn somedays. With a higher level of brain function, of course. Because then he would get to be the father to his own child _and _have the most stubborn and ambitious girl in all of Ohio at his back. He closed his eyes for a second as the emotions bubbling over were forced back down.

His eyes rose to see her staring at him strangely. Almost as if she had just realized that he had human emotions like everyone else. He schooled his face into the uninterested mask he'd crafted the day his deadbeat father skipped out on him and his family and reversed the conversation back towards her.

"So listen. Do you want me to go kick his ass or something and get them back? I haven't beat on anyone in awhile and I need to keep the skills fresh. But then I'd have to keep the underpants. You know, as a reward for my heroic gesture." Puck finished smugly, a wink accompanying the words. He was kind of hoping she'd actually say 'yes' because he really felt like throwing that kid into the dumpster out front. Right after the lunch rush. And then dump a slushie over his head.

"Um...no. While I appreciate your...chivalric gesture, I think I'm going to have to pass. I can handle this on my own." Rachel replied slowly, clutching her books tighter to her chest as her gaze darted to the floor for a second before returning to his.

Puck shrugged casually as if brushing her off. Did she really just stutter over her response? And, he wasn't much of a Rachel Berry reader, but that really looked like laughter sparkling in her eyes. The world truly was coming to an end if he was having a civil conversation with Rachel Berry and almost making her laugh.

"Alright, suit yourself. And just so you know, I don't make offers like that everyday. So you have no idea how stupid you're being by turning it down. Most women would have known better. But then again, you're not really one of those, are you?" Puck said nonchalantly, sneering at her slightly before he quickened his pace and ducked into the choir room. There. That had sounded mostly like him.

Well, at least no one could say he didn't try to help. Even if it meant taking a step down on the social ladder, so it was a good thing she'd refused. What had made him offer in the first place?

He didn't look back to see if she was following. It was the _choir room_. She'd be there.

oooooooooo-oooooooooo-ooooooooooooo

Some kind of upper power was working against him the next morning. The electricity had gone off some time during the night due to the high winds sweeping through Lima in prelude to a low pressure front sweeping across the midwest, reseting his digital alarm. He'd barely had time to grab coffee and a pop-tart for breakfast as he scrambled out the door, and as a stud, he should never have to _scramble_ anything.

It took him three tries to get his truck to start, forcing him to climb in and out of the cab a total of five times before he figured out that a battery cable was loose. To make matters worse, it was not even sixty degrees that crisp November morning and his letterman's jacket was in his locker at school. On a good day, his truck took half the drive to school to heat up if he forgot to go out and start it up a few minutes early, so he had the sleeves of his long sleeve t-shirt fisted around his hands as he gripped the steering wheel and a chill he was sure reached down into his bones as he drove the longest ten minutes of his life to school.

As he pulled into the school parking lot with six minutes to spare before the warning bell rang, it was one of the few days he was glad they had assigned parking spots. Turning the key in the ignition, he pulled the key loose before sticking it into his front pocket. Leaning over to grab his backpack from the passenger seat, he paused when a flash of color caught his eye. Of course it was Rachel Berry on the one day she wasn't an hour early.

When he sat up and got a clearer view of her, he was sure the wind purposefully gusted up her skirt the moment she walked by him to reveal a pair of hot pink bikini style panties with black flowers splattered all around. And that was _not_ the self-righteous smirk that he practically had a trademark on gracing her lips before her look turned indignant as she grabbed the sides with both hands to hold the skirt in place for the rest of the walk across the parking lot.

Well, he was fairly positive she won that battle as it took him a full five seconds to manually push his jaw back into place with his hand. That girl was just as manipulative and masterful as the rest of the girls he'd ever hooked up with. One of these days, he was sure he was going to find a justifiable reason to want to get into her pants.

He might need to think on this one for a few weeks first.

oooooooooo-ooooooooooo-oooooooooo

See, and I even made the perfect lead-in for the "Mash Up" episode. Wasn't that nice of me? Not to mention, I couldn't resist adding this onto the end after one of my reviewers planted the idea in my head. Puck seemed to be easier for me to write, for some reason. It's weird. Well, that's all folks.


End file.
